Retaining means



y 3, 1961 J. H. DU BOlS 2,985,006

RETAINING MEANS Filed Sept. 9, 1958 FIG. 2.

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ATTORNEY United States Patent RETAINING MEANS John Harry Du Bois, 29 Erwin Park Road, Montclair, NJ.

Filed Sept. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 759,956

2 Claims. (Cl. 70458) This invention relates to small object retaining means, more particularly to means for securely maintaining objects such as keys, coins, and the like articles customarily carried in the pocket, in an organized, readily accessible fashion.

The average individual in our society finds it necessary to carry with him one or more keys, identification tags, tokens, coins, and the like relatively small objects. These objects are generally carried in a pocket of the clothing or in a purse, and when it is desired to employ these articles, the contents of the pocket or purse must be emptied, or the object actually selected from the pocket or purse. A variety of specifically adapted containers have been evolved, designed to accommodate specific objects to provide for their retention, and organization in the pocket or purse, and to implement ready accessibility of said objects. These devices range over a wide area of complexity, have concoinittant high costs of manufacture, and complexity of use.

Any small object organizer provided should, of course', not add materially to the weight or bulkiness of the objects which must be carried, since this serves only to increase the wear and tear of the pockets or purse, and generally creates undesirable aesthetic effects. It is additionally desirable that any means provided for organizing small objects be simple in utilization, and manufacture.

It is with the above desiderata in mind that the present means have been evolved, means permitting the retention and organization of small objects such as keys, medallions, tokens, coins, and the like whereby these items may readily be carried, and are readily accessible when needed.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide improved object retaining means.

It is also an object of the invention to provide object retaining means serving to organize the retained articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for arranging a plurality of small objects into a relatively compact coherent mass.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for retaining one or more keys in an organized readily accessible, and readily manipulable, fashion.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining a plurality of apertured medallions, tokens, or the like in an organized, readily accessible fashion.

It is also an object of this invention to provide means for maintaining a plurality of coins, tokens, pills, or the like small objects in a readily accessible fashion.

A further object of the invention is to provide unitary object retaining means serving to maintain both apertured items such as keys, and articles such as coins in an organized manner within the pocket or pure of a user.

Another object of this invention is to provide retaining means extending the effective surface area of those objects conventionally carried in a pocket whereby said objects may be more readily grasped for removal from the pocket for use. a

It is also an important object of this invention to provide small object retaining means of a simple, inexpensive nature, simple in manufacture and simple in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a key retainer requiring a minimum of manipulative steps for securement of the keys thereon.

These and other objects of the invention which will become apparent from the following disclosure and claims are achieved by provision of a retaining member comprising an elongate article supporting shank, having a nose portion arranged askew to said shank at one end thereof, and having a handle portion on the opposite end of said shank. The nose portion is formed with an entry barb and a iiexible locking barb. The handle portion is provided with a finger grip which is generally of a circular configuration, is suitable for grasping between the thumb and forefinger, and may be provided with a container having a removable closure thereon for the receipt of small objects such as coins, pills, tokens, or the like. The entire retaining means is fabricated of a relatively resilient material such as vinyl plastic, polyethylene, or the like and is preferably formed as a unitary structure.

A primary feature of the invention resides in the fabrication of a key retainer of a unitary structural formation, extremely light in weight, and having a minimal volume, whereby the bulk of the retained keys or articles is not materially increased while their accessibility and manipulability are enhanced.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a key retainer in which the number of manipulative steps required for securing the keys thereon is substantially reduced by the provision of a novel nose portion on said key retainer, said nose portion having an entry barb and a locking barb.

An additional feature of the invention resides in the fact that the nose portion is formed with an entry barb and a flexible locking barb, with said entry barb implementing the positioning of a key, or the like holed object on the shank, and the locking barb flexing to permit positioning of the object on the shank and then springing back to a locking position, serving to maintain the article on the shank.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a retainer for keys or the like small objects in which a handle element is provided for digital gripping to facilitate removal of the keys from a pocket or purse. This novel handle element may readily be modified to provide retaining means for small objects such as pills, coins, or the like.

Another feature of the invention resides in the formation of an article retainer in which a shank portion functioning as both "a handle and article maintainer is adapted for insertion through an aperture such as conventionally formed in keys, medallions, or the like, to support same, and a handle portion is formed on one end of said shank to facilitate manipulability of the keys or articles retained. This handle portion may be formed as a container for small objects such as coins, pills, or the like in which event the shank portion functions as a handle to facilitate manipulability of the coin retaining portion.

The particular structural details of the invention and their mode of functioning will be made most manifest and particularly pointed out in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the novel retaining means showing a key in phantom; and

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a modification of the retainer means illustrated in Fig. 1 having provision for an advertising insert in the handle tlement thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the .mventio hav ng a c in or. p retainer rme i combination with the key retaining means; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. and V F I pe pe tive view o ano h r embo iment of the invention similar to that of Figs. 5 andd employing amodifi'ed hinge.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in the various figures will be taken to designate like parts. As best seen in 'Fig. l the novel retainer 19 is formed with an elongate article supporting shank portion 11 having a nose portion 12 at one end thereof and the handle portion 13 at the opposite end thereof. Nose portion 12 is formed integrally with shank portion 11 and is arranged askew with respect to said shank. The part of nose portion 12 at anobtuse angle with respect to shank 11 forms an entry barb 15 and the part of the nose portion 12 at an acute angle with respect to shank 11 forms a locking barb 16. The locking barb is flexible with respect to the shank for a purpose to be made hereinafter more apparent. As is clearly seen in Fig. 2 the retaining ring is substantially uniform in cross-section, thus facilitating fabrication. Fillet 17 is formed between entry barb 15 and the shank 11;' fillet 1'8'is formed between locking barb 16 and the shank 11; and a cusp shaped fillet 19is formed between'the entry barb 15 and locking barb 16, whereby upon flexing of said barbs during positioning of a key or the like on the retainer 3.0, stresses will be minimized.

1 In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, the retainer 10 is substantially similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The handle element is, however, modified to form a handle element'20 which is here shown as of circular configuration but may obviously be made in any other desired shape. Handle 21 as best seen in Fig. 4 is formed with a peripheral annular flange 21 having inwardly extending annular lip arranged about annularrecess 23. Provided for insertion within recess 23 'is disk 25 having a surface area equal to: that between the peripheral bounds of recess 23. Disk 25 is illustrated as having an advertising insert, but obviously the diskcould be inthe form ofa coin, token, or medallion of appropriate size.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the retaining means described in Figs. 1 and 2 is modified by provision of a handle element formed integrally with shank 11 and shown here as of. circular configuration but obviously subject to fabrication in a wide variety of shapes within the scope of the teachings of this invention. Handle portion '31) provides a container comprising a base portion 31, here shown as coplanar with that of shank 11, with an upstanding peripheral flange 32 formed about said base portion to provide container means. Hinge strap 33 is formed integrally with and extending fromthe'out'er wall 'ofbase portion 31 to closure 35 formed integrally therewith. Closure 35 has a cap portion 36 and an engaging flange 37 adapted to be moved over peripheral flange 32 to form an article rctaining recess between cap portion 36 and base portion 31.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 7, handle element 40 is formed similar to handle element 30, save that a relatively deep cup shaped base portion 41 is provided having a flange 42. Hinge ears 43 are extended from base 41 and closure cap 44 having hinge flange 45 is pivoted between said ears 43.

Operation The novel retainer 10 here provided may be utilized for maintaining a wide variety of small objects such as keys, medallions, tokens, coins, pills, or the'like small for maintaining articles such as keys having an aperture therein, entry barb 15 of the retainer 10 is inserted through the aperture of the key as seen in Fig. 1, and the key is slid over locking barb 16 which flexes down to permit the key to pass onto supporting shank 11. Locking barb 16 prevents removal of the key except by the exercise of force. Other apertured articles may be similarly maintained on the shank 11.

The handle portion 1 3 of the Fig. 1 embodiment provides means for grasping the retainer 16) and the keys maintained thereon.

In employing the alternative embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the handle element 20 serves to contain an advertising insert printed or otherwise superposed on disk 25 engaged by annular lip 22. As noted, disk 25 may also be in the form of a coil, medallion, or token.

In the alternative embodiments illustrated in Figs. 5-7, the handle portion is modified to provide closed container means for retaining small articles such as coins, tokens, pills, or the like. The container means are employed in an obvious fashion by opening the closure and inserting the articles to be retained within the container means.-

It is thus seen that a novel retainer has been provided for organizing and maintaining small objects in a readily accessible condition. The novel retainer is subject to simple fabrication of a plastic such as polyethylene, vinyl or the like and is so designed as to withstand the normal stresses to which it is subject in manufacture and use.

The above disclosure has been given by way of illustration and elucidation, and not by way of limitation, and it is desired to protect all embodiments of the instant inventive concept within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Retaining means for maintaining small objects such as keys, or the like, in an organized readily accessible fashion, said retaining means comprising object supporting means; entry means projecting askew from said supporting means adapted to be inserted through an aperture in the supported object; and flexible locking means formed integrally with said supporting means in line with said entry means, serving to retain the objects on'said supporting means, said locking means separated from said entry means by a cusp shaped fillet to implement flexing of the locking means to permit the supported object to pass onto said supporting means with a minimum of stress on said retaining means.

2. Retaining means for maintaining small objects such as keys, orfthe like, in an organized readily accessible fashion, said retaining means comprising object supporting means; entry means projecting askew from said supporting means adapted to be inserted through an aperture in the supported object; flexible locking means formed integrally with said supporting means in line with said entry means, serving to retain the objects on said supporting means, said locking means separated from said entry means by a cusp shaped fillet to implement flexing of the locking means to permit the supported 0bje'ct to pass onto said supporting means with a minimum of stress on said retaining means; and handle means formed integrally withsaid supporting means implementing manipulation of the supporting means and the objects retained thereon.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 587,160 Pitz July 27, 1897 811,693 Calvo Feb. 6, 1906 1,974,160 ;Peirson Sept. 18, 1934 2,025,960 SindIer Dec. 31, 1935 2,067,039 Auer Jan. 5, 1937 2,326,963 Sindler Aug. 10, 1943 2,777,492 Kikuchi Jan. 15, 1957 2,793,842 Bacon May 28, 1957 2,816,434 Olson Dec. 17, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 394,334 Great Britain June 21, 1933 

